iCloud push email notifications have returned in Germany amidst a fight over the validity of a patent at the center of the controversy.

As Apple noted on its support website yesterday, "customers in Germany can now receive push email delivery for iCloud, Yahoo!, AOL, QQ, and NetEase."

The blockade dates back to Feb. 2012, when a Manheim court granted a permanent injunction against Apple's iCloud push email notifications. Motorola Mobility, now owned by Google, enforced that injunction, prompting the block on iCloud push email notifications. Messages still arrived, just at a slower pace.

That was not satisfactory for Apple, which appealed the decision. Last month, the Higher Regional Court of Karlsruhe ruled that Apple could delay enforcement of the iCloud injunction while the case proceeded - provided it put up a $132 million bond.

Motorola's push notification patent has come under scrutiny, and the Munich-based Federal Patent Court will hold a hearing on Nov. 13 to consider whether it should be invalidated, patent blogger Florian Mueller noted in a Tuesday blog post.

Mueller seems to think Apple will prevail in this case; "This patent is finished," he wrote, citing the various courts that have questioned its validity.

The move comes about a year after the European Commission formally opened a patent abuse investigation into Motorola. The investigation was prompted by complaints from Apple and Microsoft, which accused Motorola of suing over "essential" patents rather than trying to work out licensing deals.

About the Author

Before joining PCMag.com, Chloe covered financial IT for Incisive Media in NYC and technology policy for The National Journal's Technology Daily in Washington, DC. She has held internships at NBC's Meet the Press, washingtonpost.com, the Tate Gallery press office in London, Roll Call, and Congressional Quarterly. She graduated with a bachelor's deg... See Full Bio

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